Roswell School Shooting Investigation Continues

While the Roswell school shooting investigation continues, the shooter is in custody and his two victims are in hospital. The shooting took place on Tuesday the 14th, but after 60 interviews and searches, police are still trying to piece together why the twelve-year-old shooter decided to attack his class-mates. So far it has been determined that the attack itself was planned, but the victims were random. Analyzation of the gymnasium of Berrendo Middle School shows that the shooter fired into the ceiling and floor as well into the crowd of students waiting for the day to begin out of the cold. It is not known what order the shots occurred in, but police and parents are relieved that two of the three rounds loaded into the weapon were not fired into the crowd.

Two students were hit by one round of bird-shot. Kendal Sanders, a 13-year-old girl, was hit in the shoulder and is in stable condition at University Medical Center in Lubbock Texas. Nathaniel Tavarez was hit in the face and neck and was taken to the same hospital. He is in critical condition as the Roswell school shooting investigation continues and his family has asked for privacy and prayers. The shooter, who cannot be identified due to his age, attacked his classmates with a 20 gauge shotgun with the stock sawn into a pistol-grip and loaded with bird-shot. Police investigation showed that he shooter fired a shot into the ceiling and floor as well as into the crowd of students, but it is not clear what order the shots came in or if there was a plan for where to fire. Reports have shown that students in other parts of the school laughed the booming gunshots as just another drill. Police have confirmed that the shotgun came from his home, and that the only rounds of ammunition brought to the school were the three that were loaded into the weapon and discharged during the attack. Although initial reports said the weapon was smuggled into the school in an instrument case, investigation showed that it was a duffel bag. The bag and the shooters locker were thoroughly searched, informing police to the planned nature of the attack and the exact number of rounds brought in.

As the Roswell school shooting investigation continues, police have yet to decide on the motivation behind the attack or how the charge the young boy. Later reports also showed that the shooter warned random school mates he ran into before the attack to stay out of the gym. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but a lot of them will be answered in the coming days at Albuquerque psychiatric hospital where the shooter is currently being held. Roswell Police applauded the staff of Berrendo Middle School for their quick action, particularly John Masterson for stepping in after the shootings and persuading the student to drop his weapon. The quick institution of the school wide lock down helped to keep other students away from the gym and safe from potential harm.